Shloka 18
Adhyāya 55 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Hesitation and Bhīṣma’s Authorization of Inquiry
Rājadharma Prelude
लोहितोदां केशतृणां गजशैलां ध्वजद्रुमाम् । महीं करोति युद्धेषु क्षत्रियो यः स धर्मवित्,जो क्षत्रिय युद्धभूमिमें रक्तरूपी जल, केशरूपी तृण, हाथीरूपी पर्वत और ध्वजरूपी वक्षोंसे युक्त खूनकी नदी बहा देता है, वह धर्मका ज्ञाता है
Bhiṣma uvāca: lohitodāṃ keśatṛṇāṃ gajaśailāṃ dhvajadrumām | mahīṃ karoti yuddheṣu kṣatriyo yaḥ sa dharmavit ||
Bhīṣma dit : Le kṣatriya qui, dans les batailles, transforme la terre en un spectacle d’effroi—où le sang est comme l’eau, les cheveux tranchés comme l’herbe, les éléphants comme des montagnes et les étendards comme des arbres—ce guerrier est appelé connaisseur du dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a traditional Kshatriya ethic: in rightful battle, unwavering martial action is treated as dharma, and the warrior who fulfills that duty—even amid horrific carnage—is termed a ‘knower of dharma’ within that role-based moral framework.
Bhishma is instructing on dharma in the Shanti Parva, using a stark battlefield metaphor: the ground is imagined as transformed into a scene where blood flows like water, hair lies like grass, elephants resemble mountains, and banners stand like trees—depicting the scale of war while defining the Kshatriya’s duty in it.